You might think twice about washing your bra

It's the reoccurring question on everybody's lips or perhaps the one you don't want to answer! 😉 A topic Curvy Kate certainly haven't been shy about, touching upon it in previous blogs - No! This is how often you should wash your bra!

BUT this time around we wanted to know how washing your new bra regularly in the washing machine can do some seeerious damage to the shelf life of the garment. We always advise our customers to hand wash lingerie, because of it's intricate and delicate features. Occasionally we're asked why a bra of just a few months old is failing on them... our first question is, how have you been washing it?!

To show you the damage washing machines have on bras we're holding our own little experiment. Two identical bras, both being worn on alternative days. One bra only getting hand washed once the other washed EVERYDAY in a washing machine! Now this isn't to say people wear and wash their bra everyday, but for the sake of this little experience we're condensing the amount of times it gets worn and washed...

One bra goes back into my draw whilst the other goes in for it's very first wash...

 

After taking the bra out the wash and letting dry I put the two identical bras next to each other....not looking so similar now

I could instantly see a slight difference in the elastic in the band

 

After wearing the unwashed bra for the day I again put it back in my draw whilst the other bra goes back in the wash...

There is a distinct difference in texture in the bra, it's become wrinkled and looks nowhere near as comfortable. The heat from the washing machine can cause the fabric to change...

I wore the washed bra all day then washed it again. I also hand washed the other bra delicately...

The hand washed bra is still looking really new and it's original shape remains...

As you can see, after the fourth wash the bra had has made the underwire of the bra misshapen, it's not wonder peoples bra wires pop out!

Our hand washed bra is still looking in great shape!

The elastic in the band has clearly not agreed with the heat from the machine...

After five condensed days of wearing and washing two identical bras it's clear to see the cleaning process of your lingerie needs to be thought through. We know that sometimes you just don’t have time to hand wash your bras and that’s okay. A gentle wash in your machine at a warm temperature in a bag is much better than tossing them in willy nilly with the rest of your clothes, causing entanglement, uhh no thanks! ✋ Once a bra is stretched out, it will never fit the same again, trust me ☝️ AND bra hooks can easily get snagged on other clothes and become bent out of shape. This particular bra was only washed five times and although it's made some noticeable changes it's not been ruined, but in a few more washes...

• Fill your sink with cool water. Add your soap; mix around a little bit
• Add your lingerie, swish around and let sit for a a few minutes– then drain the water
• Turn on fresh cool water and thoroughly rinse each item, one by one as you take them out of the sink. Give them a good squeeze, but DO NOT twist like a wash cloth.
• Hang to dry. Straight and flat is good. Be sure to reshape the cup

BIG LOVE